1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to flavored gum compositions, and particularly to gum compositions having plural flavor components.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most chewing gums, including bubble gums, contain a generally water-insoluble gum base, water-soluble sweeteners that are either natural or artificial, and a flavoring that may be added in a variety of forms. Also, the gum may contain various additives such as plasticizers, softeners and bulking agents to improve consistency and to generally enhance the chewing experience.
A commonly noted deficiency in chewing gums has been the relatively rapid exhaustion of the flavor sensation during chewing. This deficiency is most pronounced in the instance of chewing gums, as flavor loss frequently occurs within the first 4 to 5 minutes of chewing.
The same problem is observed in the instance where the gum products are stored for a period of time between manufacture and consumption. The flavors appear to have limited shelf stability and, in some cases, are observed to diminish to an unacceptably low level within one month after storage.
Recently, it has become desirable to develop chewing gums and bubble gums containing plural diverse flavor components, to offer a flavor variation and overall flavor extension during the chew. Several efforts have been made to prepare chewing gums having diverse flavors, however these products have generally been unable to offer desirable flavor intensity of the respective flavor components, and accurate transition between the respective flavors. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,795,744 to Ogawa et al purports to offer a chewing gum having flavor variability achieved by forming a plurality of flavor composites prepared in granular form with certain high molecular weight compounds, both water-insoluble and water-soluble, which may thereafter be incorporated into a chewing gum base. Ogawa et al purport to achieve sequential flavor delivery by the modulation of the coating applied to the respective flavor particles. The flavors in Ogawa et al are added at the same stage of gum processing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,826,847 also to Ogawa et al is cumulative in its disclosure with the earlier mentioned patent, as it likewise relates to the encapsulation of flavoring with high molecular weight materials such as those mentioned earlier. In other respects, however, Ogawa et al utilizes the same preparation and offers the same possibility for products so prepared.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,920,849 to Marmo et al addresses the concept of extended flavor release and offers a full discussion of the prior art on this subject. The patent directs itself to the preparation of separate flavor components identified as "fixed" (encapsulated) and "unfixed", which are mixed with a suspension agent prior to their addition to a chewing gum base. The patentees contend that this method of preparation and addition to the chewing gum offers improved flavor intensity and uniform flavor transmission in the instance where plural diverse flavors are utilized. The patentees specifically employ a non-confined hydrophobic flavor oil and a "fixed" hydrolytically releasable flavor oil in combination with a solid suspending agent, as their flavor system. The preparation of the flavors is such that the resulting flavor system is added simultaneously to the gum base.
In similar fashion, U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,438 also to Marmo et al discloses a flavor composition utilizing a non-confined flavor oil in combination with a flavor oil physically entrapped within solid particles, and a suspending agent combined therewith. All of these ingredients are premixed and thereafter simultaneously added to the product to be flavored. It is significant that the flavor system of this patent is predicated upon an intimate admixture between the non-confined flavor oil and the entrapped flavor oil.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,259,355, also to Marmo et al is effectively cumulative upon the earlier issued Marmo et al patents, in that it teaches the preliminary combination or admixture of a non-confined flavor oil and entrapped flavor oil and a suitable suspending agent. In the '355 patent, the respective flavors are prepared with a cellulosic suspending agent and are thereafter mixed, and the resulting flavor composite is thereafter added to the chewing gum, tobacco etc.
British Patent No. 1,327,761 to Smith et al discloses a compound encapsulation of a flavoring, wherein a first water-soluble encapsulant is applied to the flavor and a second water-insoluble encapsulant is thereafter applied. The water-insoluble encapsulant is critically identified as having a melting point substantially below that of the water-soluble encapsulating material, to provide the desired qualities of the product. There is no disclosure in the British Patent, however, of the preparation of gum compositions having plural flavors offering time controlled variant flavor release characteristics. Efforts to prepare gum compositions with plural flavors, in accordance with the disclosures just discussed nonetheless result in products having certain deficiencies. In particular, the simultaneous addition of the flavors to the gum base frequently results in masking of the first non-confined flavor and general attenuation of both flavor sensations. Similarly, the flavor systems are sensitive to subsequent mechanical processing of the gum composition and frequently exhibit reduced flavor intensity as a result of later mixing and extrusion of the final product. Lastly, the encapsulated materials frequently break down prematurely with the result that discrete flavor release is lost and overall flavor duration is undesirably reduced.
A need therefore exists for the development of a chewing gum and a flavor system suitable for same that offers improved extension of flavor sensation in combination with desirable flavor intensity, shelf life and discrete flavor transition.